Iran criticizes OIC suspension of Syria

The Syrian government should have been invited to the meeting prior to this decision so that it could defend itself and the attendees could listen to the Syrian government’s official views."
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has criticized the suspension of Syria from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as “unfair.”
In a closing statement released early Thursday at the end of an OIC summit in Mecca, the organization announced the suspension of Syria’s membership.
Salehi said on Thursday that Iran expressed its opposition to the move in the meeting, and added that Syria’s suspension from the OIC was against the charter of the organization.
“The Syrian government should have been invited to the meeting prior to this decision so that it could defend itself and the attendees could listen to the Syrian government’s official views.”
Salehi went on to say that the unfulfilled invitation of Syria to the Mecca summit could have also provided an opportunity, with the participation of Syria, to discuss, the conflict between the Syrian government and the opposition as well as a solution to the ongoing crisis.
The move to suspend Syria had been approved on Monday at a preliminary meeting of the OIC foreign ministers.
Syria has been the scene of unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the violence.
Salehi also said that the meeting discussed the Palestinian issue and Israel’s aggression as well as the situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The two-day summit in Mecca opened on Tuesday, with the unrest in Syria topping the agenda.
The participants condemned "the continued recourse to violence by the Myanmar authorities against the members of this minority (Rohingya Muslims) and their (the authorities’) refusal to recognize their right to citizenship."
"The summit has decided to bring this matter before the General Assembly of the United Nations," a final statement by the 57-member organization said.
AR/HJL/MA